Dark Shadows

Oujji boards, fortune-telling and other substitutes for God's authority seem like harmless pastimes to many of our children.  But this event, somewhat of a departure from the usual Story of the Week, shows that once a door is opened, even innocent people can be affected by what comes through.

As a very small child, April was afraid of the dark.  But hers was not the typical childhood apprehension.  April's parents were involved with the occult and black magic, and had thus opened their home and their hearts to a malevolent force April could not explain.  Often she sensed "presences" of both good and evil in her home.  But how could she describe such things to outsiders?  Who would believe her?

"Many nights I would lie awake, crying, just watching these demons sit in my room, waiting for their chance to pounce on a defenseless child," she says.  "I knew there was a God that loved me, but I didn't understand why He didn't just waltz into my room, in all of His glory, and destroy these scary things once and for all."

At the age of thirteen, April moved out of her parents' home to live with her aunt and uncle. But to her dismay, the demons followed.  She was plagued with dark frightening shadows when she lay awake, and nightmares when she slept. Her physicians could find no physical or emotional reasons for her problems.

When her aunt and uncle realized what was happening, however, they had a solution.  They were both strong Christians, and they explained that there was power in the name of Jesus.  She was to use that name---reverently but with authority and confidence--the next time she felt under attack.  April was ecstatic.  She could hardly wait for the opportunity to try out this newfound source of strength.

"I remember it so clearly," she says.  "It was a hot summer night, and I was asleep in bed.  The room was pitch black, so dark it seemed almost void of air.  Suddenly I was jolted awake by a familiar, terrifying presence. My fears came rushing back, and I began to sob uncontrollably."  April felt defeated.  She could actually see a figure standing in the corner of her bedroom, watching her, as if he knew that he was still reigning over her.

But then she remembered---she could pray!  And as she did so, she could feel a transformation  taking place.  "Jesus, Jesus," she murmured softly, then with growing boldness.  "In the name of Jesus, I demand that you flee this room!  You no longer have control over me."  All at once, she looked up and realized that the ceiling was becoming a white sheet.  Weightlessly, it floated down upon her, covering her completely, cool and scented like the night air, as if angel wings were embracing her.  April was filled with an amazing sense of peace.  The fears that had held her captive for so many years were gone, never to return.

"Now I am a grown woman, with children of my own," she says.  "And to this day, on those hot summer nights, I find myself taking cool sheets from the linen closet, and tossing them over my children as they sleep.  I pray that angels protect them, and once again I am filled with that same peace that brought me though on that night so long ago."

Remember that evil spirits rarely attack people who keep the doors of sin firmly closed against them.  But just in case, be sure to teach your children to pray.

(C)  2002 Joan Wester Anderson  www.joanwanderson.com